I'm ready to give Theravada Buddhism another try. I think if I simplify / summarize what I've learned from books, dhamma talks, and my teachers, it'll be easy for me practice comfortably without being overwhelmed by all the material.

Below is my attempt to outline the essence of what I need to understand. If you see something missing, or written in error, please let me know. Your suggestions would be appreciated.

There are four noble truths, each of which are to be contemplated and understood. The first truth proclaims the prevalence of dukkha (suffering), and the last truth reveals the eightfold path, the blue print for escaping the ignorance and clinging that causes suffering.

Samatha and vipassana (serenity & insight), in conjunction with right view, are the 2 qualities needed to counter ignorance; both qualities can be cultivated through meditation practices of the same names. These, and other life practices are explained in detail in the Satipatthana, Anapanasati, Metta, Sigalovada, Sabbasava, Magga-vibhanga Sutta, and Sammaditthi Suttas.

Be mindful of the 5 hindrances that can interfere with practice. Live by the 5 precepts. And combat the 3 taints for final liberation from dukkha.

Last edited by mettafuture on Sun Jul 04, 2010 11:11 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Keep it simple. Do good, Avoid evil and Purify the mind. Focus on generosity, virtue and meditation.

The heart of the path is SO simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are. That is all I do in my own practice. Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. Of course, there are dozens of meditation techniques to develop samadhi and many kinds of vipassana. But it all comes back to this - just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle. - Ajahn Chah

At one time the Blessed One was living at Vesali in the Hall with the Pointed Roof in the Great Wood. Then a certain bhikkhu went to the Blessed One...and said: "Lord, every fortnight more than a hundred and fifty rules of conduct come up for recitation. Lord, I cannot train in all those."

"Can you train in three training rules, bhikkhu?" The training rule of the higher virtue, the training rule of the higher consciousness, and the training rule of the higher understanding?"

"I can train in those, Lord"

"Then, bhikkhu, train in those three training rules. As soon as you have completed that training, then, being completely trained, lust hate and delusion will have been abandoned in you. With that you will no more do unwholesome acts or cultivate evil."

Later on that bhikkhu completed that training; then, being completely trained , lust hate and delusion were completely abandoned in him. With that he no more did unwholesome acts or cultivated evil.

AN 3.83

The heart of the path is SO simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are. That is all I do in my own practice. Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. Of course, there are dozens of meditation techniques to develop samadhi and many kinds of vipassana. But it all comes back to this - just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle. - Ajahn Chah

I was feeling overwhelmed with the huge amount of material on the recommended reading list, and with some of my peers who can cite "chapter and verse" of the entire Tipitaka (so it often seems). I read "The Dhamma: Short Course, Checklists for Buddhist Learning" by Bhikkhu P.A. Payutto." Helped to give me a grasp on the basics.

"As I am, so are others;as others are, so am I."Having thus identified self and others,harm no one nor have them harmed.

bodom wrote:Keep it simple. Do good, Avoid evil and Purify the mind. Focus on generosity, virtue and meditation.

Excellent advice.

“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.” - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Not just these things... any aspect of the noble eightfold path when conjoined with Right View helps to counter ignorance.

Metta,Retro.

If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding: Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga)

Exalted in mind, just open and clearly aware, the recluse trained in the ways of the sages:One who is such, calmed and ever mindful, He has no sorrows! -- Udana IV, 7

jcsuperstar wrote:also remember it is a gradual training, no need to have it all figured out right at the beginning.

Good point. Even when I knew about this training, I still tried to inhale the entire dhamma at once. I know better than to do that now. The only thing I'm going to focus on for the moment are the 5 hindrances.

Monkey Mind wrote:...and with some of my peers who can cite "chapter and verse" of the entire Tipitaka (so it often seems)...

My secret is the indexes and search engine at accesstoinsight.org

I often use In The Buddha's Word's by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Even during my down time from the Theravada, I would often find myself looking through it. I wish there was an electronic version available. I'd love to be able to read it on my iPod touch. Thick, heavy, books are so 1990s.

bodom wrote:Keep it simple. Do good, Avoid evil and Purify the mind. Focus on generosity, virtue and meditation.

Excellent advice.

Hi all.

If I'm not mistaken, the Buddha actually ordered it "avoid evil, do good, and purify the mind." My apologies if I'm wrong on that, but it seems to me that there are interesting implications in changing the ordering. I think harmlessness is a great way to get back to the basic starting point...which is what I'm also needing to do these days! Of course "doing good" also involves harmlessness, but it seems to me that if we look at the canon, "doing good" is rarer than "avoiding evil" when you look at the many factors that must co-arise for a deed to be "good" technically speaking. (i.e there can't be lobha involved, which there almost always is I'm sure when I do something that seems to be "good" in my case..)

The heart of the path is SO simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are. That is all I do in my own practice. Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. Of course, there are dozens of meditation techniques to develop samadhi and many kinds of vipassana. But it all comes back to this - just let it all be. Step over here where it is cool, out of the battle. - Ajahn Chah